COVID-19 Food Aid for 1,500 Families in Api Api

Liew (seated, middle) and volunteers packing food items into plastic bags.

KOTA KINABALU: Api Api State Assemblywoman Datuk Christina Liew on Wednesday handed out 1,500 food packs benefitting 1,500 needy families in her constituency.

She said it was a personal contribution in response to cries for help amid the conditional movement control order (CMCO), triggered by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

According to her, each of the 15 group heads (ketua kumpulan) representing 100 families in each designated residential area and village in Api Api, collected 100 food packs from the collection centre here between 12 noon and 5pm, for distribution to those in need in these trying times.

The food aid consisted of a 5-kg bag of rice, cooking oil, condensed milk, sugar and confectionery for each family. 

“Earlier, some of the group heads had called me and my mobile team about the plight of urban poor families and those living on the outskirts. Prior to the 14th General Election, we had extended food assistance to them.

“With the recurrent onslaught of life-threatening COVID-19, people are in dire need of food again as they are unable to get out of their homes to buy necessities. A lot of them are from the low-income bracket and daily-paid jobs, who have been reduced to unemployment again.      

“I immediately mobilised my ready volunteers to get things moving, utilising my Assemblywoman’s allowance. We would appreciate it very much if more young people could volunteer their time and energy to support our humanitarian efforts as we go through this global health crisis,” Liew said in a statement, issued here.

The former Deputy Chief Minister assured that the food aid distribution exercise was in full compliance with the COVID-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the Government. 

“For safety reasons, each volunteer wore a face mask, a face shield and personal protective equipment (PPE), and practised safe social distancing as they handled the food packages and interacted with recipients in the respective areas,” she said.